Ultrafast laser irradiation causes intense electronic excitations in materials, leading to transient high temperatures and pressures. Here, we show that ultrafast laser irradiation drives an irreversible cubic-to-monoclinic phase transformation in Ln 2O 3 ( Ln = Er – Lu ) , and explore the mechanism by which the phase transformation occurs. A combination of grazing incidence x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy are used to determine the magnitude and depth-dependence of the phase transformation, respectively. Although all compositions undergo the same transformation, their transformation mechanisms differ. The transformation is pressure-driven for Ln = Tm – Lu , consistent with the material's phase behavior under equilibrium conditions. However, the transformation is thermally driven for Ln = Er , revealing that the nonequilibrium conditions of ultrafast laser irradiation can lead to novel transformation pathways. Ab initio molecular-dynamics simulations are used to examine the atomic-scale effects of electronic excitation, showing the production of oxygen Frenkel pairs and the migration of interstitial oxygen to tetrahedrally coordinated constitutional vacancy sites, the first step in a defect-driven phase transformation.

The compoundsmore » $${A}_{2}\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{u}}_{3}\mathrm{O}{(\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{O}}_{4})}_{3}(A=\mathrm{Na},\mathrm{K})$$ are characterized by copper hexamers which are weakly coupled along the $b$ axis to realize one-dimensional antiferromagnetic chains below $${T}_{\mathrm{N}}{\approx}3\mathrm{K}$$, whereas the interchain interactions along the $a$ and $c$ axes are negligible. Here we investigated the energy-level splittings of the copper hexamers by inelastic neutron scattering below and above $${T}_{\mathrm{N}}$$. The eight lowest-lying hexamer states could be unambiguously assigned and parametrized in terms of a Heisenberg exchange Hamiltonian, providing direct experimental evidence for an $S=1$ triplet ground-state associated with the copper hexamers. Therefore, the compounds $${A}_{2}\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{u}}_{3}\mathrm{O}{(\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{O}}_{4})}_{3}$$ serve as cluster-based spin-1 antiferromagnets to support Haldane's conjecture that a gap appears in the excitation spectrum below $${T}_{\mathrm{N}}$$, which was verified by inelastic neutron scattering.« less

We have performed magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity, muon spin relaxation, and neutron-scattering measurements on three members of the family Ba 3MRu 2O 9, where M=In, Y, and Lu. These systems consist of mixed-valence Ru dimers on a triangular lattice with antiferromagnetic interdimer exchange. Although previous work has argued that charge order within the dimers or intradimer double exchange plays an important role in determining the magnetic properties, our results suggest that the dimers are better described as molecular units due to significant orbital hybridization, resulting in one spin-1/2 moment distributed equally over the two Ru sites. These molecular building blocksmore » form a frustrated, quasi-two-dimensional triangular lattice. Our zero- and longitudinal-field μSR results indicate that the molecular moments develop a collective, static magnetic ground state, with oscillations of the zero-field muon spin polarization indicative of long-range magnetic order in the Lu sample. In conclusion, the static magnetism is much more disordered in the Y and In samples, but they do not appear to be conventional spin glasses.« less

Strontium doping transforms manganites of type La 1 - x Sr x Mn O 3 from an insulating antiferromagnet ( x = 0 ) to a metallic ferromagnet ( x > 0.16 ) due to the induced charge carriers (holes). We employed neutron scattering experiments in order to investigate the effect of Sr doping on a tailor-made compound of composition La 0.7 S r 0.3 M n 0.1 Ti 0.3 G a 0.6 O 3 . By the simultaneous doping with S r 2 + and Ti 4 + ions, the compound remains in the insulating state so thatmore » the magnetic interactions for large Sr doping can be studied in the absence of charge carriers. At T C = 215 K , there is a first-order reconstructive phase transition from the trigonal R - 3 c structure to the orthorhombic Pnma structure via an intermediate virtual configuration described by the common monoclinic subgroup P2 1 / c . The magnetic excitations associated with Mn 3 + dimers give evidence for two different nearest-neighbor ferromagnetic exchange interactions, in contrast to the undoped compound LaM n y A 1 - y O 3 where both ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions are present. Furthemore, the doping-induced changes of the exchange coupling originates from different Mn-O-Mn bond angles determined by neutron diffraction. The large fourth-nearest-neighbor interaction found for metallic manganites is absent in the insulating state. Here, we argue that the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida interaction reasonably accounts for all the exchange couplings derived from the spin-wave dispersion in metallic manganites.« less

Thermal conductivities of La 3Cu 3X 4(X=P,As,Sb,Bi) compounds are examined using first-principles density functional theory and Boltzmann transport methods. We observe a trend of increasing lattice thermal conductivity (κl) with increasing atomic mass, challenging our expectations, as lighter mass systems typically have larger sound speeds and weaker intrinsic scattering. In particular, we find that La 3Cu 3P 4 has the lowest κ l, despite having larger sound speed and the most restricted available phase space for phonon-phonon scattering, an important criterion for estimating and comparing κ l among like systems. The origin of this unusual behavior lies in the strengthmore » of the individual anharmonic phonon scattering matrix elements, which are much larger in La 3Cu 3P 4 than in the heavier La 3Cu 3Bi 4 system. Lastly, our finding provides insights into the interplay of harmonic and anharmonic properties of complex, low-thermal-conductivity compounds, of potential use for thermoelectric and thermal barrier coating applications.« less